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Last Updated on : November 23, 2014

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The Locality of the
Judgment Seat

Gathered To Sinai

 


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All references to the Judgment Seat of Christ imply a specific locality. Thus:

"We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Rom. 14:10).

"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10).

"Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Psalm 50:5-6).

"We beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him" (2 Thess. 2:1).

What specific locality has been reserved for this purpose? We submit that the evidence strongly points to Sinai as found in several passages of Scripture.

For example, consider Deuteronomy 33. The statement is made: "Yahweh came from Sinai . . ." and though the chapter is couched in the past tense, it is obvious that it has never yet been fulfilled. It does not apply to the experiences of Moses as he led the people from Sinai to the land of promise, though they may have typed what shall be. If it is interpreted as applying to the past.. the statement of v.3 ("He loved the people") is not true of their fate, for those who left the Mount as responsible Israelites, perished in the wilderness. Nor has the ]atter portion ever been fulfilled:

"Israel then shall dwell in safety alone; the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, 0 Israel; who like unto thee, 0 people saved by Yahweh, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places" (vv. 28-29).

Those words are yet to be fulfilled, as are all the predictions relating to the tribes contained in the chapter.

The prophecy is expressed in the past tense, because of the divine principle of "calling those things that be not as though they are" (Rom. 4:17). God told Abraham: "I have made thee a father of many nations," before Isaac was born because of the absolute certainty of the promise. The same applies to Moses' prophetic blessing of the tribes, the fulfilment of which is unconditional.

Whatever partial fulfilment has applied in the past, the complete consummation awaits the future, and will require the disciplining of Israel.

The prophecy is prefaced with the words:

Yahweh came from Sinai

And rose up from Seir unto them;

He shined forth from Mount Paran

And He came with ten thousand saints;

From His right hand went a fiery law for them (v.2).

The analogy is that of the Sun, rising at the dawn of a new day, and travelling over the expanse of heaven. Thus the political "earth" is illuminated with this regal glory for a millenial day of "a thousand years" (2 Pet. 3:8), as the Lord Jesus, in company with the glorified elect, "shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt. 13:43), bearing His name.

If they "come" from Sinai, they must first go there, which presupposes the setting up of the judgment seat at that locality.

All the expressions are appropriate to the "Sun of righteousness" shining forth in the darkness of Gentilism. "Came," "rose up," "shined forth" illustrate this.

The Hebrew for "rose up" is zarah, and signifies to break forth as light. "Came" is athah, and denotes to appear speedily, suddenly and unexpectedly, as does the light of the Sun when it seemingly shoots above the eastern horizon. The word law (dath) is not that usually used by Moses to signify law (torah), and signifies an imperial mandate, an irresistible decree, like the light of the sun destroying the darkness of night.

The description constitutes a word picture of the Sun of righteousness, as the manifestation of Yahweh, moving forth from Sinai, appearing over the Mountains of Seir as the breaking forth of light to the help of Israel; shining forth in glory from Mount Paran; speeding across the political heavens with ten thousands of saints, who are as his rays. An imperial edict of fire flashes forth as he in wrath speaks to the desecrators of the holy land (Ezek. 38:19).

Ten thousand is frequently used in Scripture to indicate a large, unspecified number (I Con 4:15; 14:19; Ps. 3:6; Song 5:10; 1 Sam. 29:5; Jude 14). Here it signifies the unnumbered multitude of the redeemed (Rev. 7:9) who will associate with Christ as he moves from Sinai against a world in arms, to subdue the flesh and establish a rule of righteousness.

To our mind, Deuteronomy 33 is conclusive, for otherwise how and when have the words been fulfilled? The power of the testimony can be only minimised by ignoring it; certainly not by examining it.

David's Evidence

Sinai is also in Psalm 68 as being the site of the Return and the locality of the Judgment Seat. It is a prophetic Psalm based upon the past, but describing the future. Ethiopia has never yet stretched out her hands unto God as predicted therein (v.31); nor have the kingdoms of the earth sung praises unto Yahweh (v.32).

The application of the Psalm to the future, however, is proved beyond the shadow of doubt by the inspired comment of Paul. In Ephesians 4:8 he applies v.18 to the resurrection and glory of Christ. Thus whatever historical basis the Psalm might have, its ultimate fulfilment must be sought for in the future.

Like Deuteronomy 33, it speaks of a movement from Sinai to Jerusalem. Thus:

"The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place" (v.17).

The verse is interspersed with words in italics. These are the translators' indication that no comparable words are found in the Hebrew, and that they have been added to contribute to its meaning. In this case, however, they do not do this.

In fact, they obscure the true meaning.

In Eureka vol. 2, p. 546, Brother Thomas refers to the rendition of this verse. After quoting it, he declares:

"The English Version interjects 'is among them as in Sinai in the holy, place.' But Sinai bakkodesh, is equivalent to 'in Sinai the holy'."

According to this rendition. the Lord is seen in company with his cherubic- chariots of saints, in the precincts of Sinai, and again, we are constrained to comment, that the Lord and the saints must first go there to be there!

We cannot see any other conclusion than that the Lord will return to Sinai, and that the judgment seat will be set up there.

The Companion Bible is even more specific if its rendition can be accepted. It translates:

"Yahweh among them (the chariots and angels) hath come from Sinai into His sanctuary."

This rendition compresses into a single sentence the movements of the Lord Jesus in company with the elect, in moving from Sinai to Jerusalem, there to overthrow the nations engaged in war, and ultimatey to rebuild the Temple or Sanctuary in which he will reign as king-priest.

The Companion Bible follows Perowne in its rendition. The latter Hebraist points out that the A.V. is inadmissable here and the words, "hath come from" should be inserted. Brother Thomas' rendering is more literally correct than either the Companion Bible and Perowne, though the latter is very attractive. But whatever reading is accepted, it places Christ and the saints at Sinai before moving north to Jerusalem and the Sanctuary.

That Christ is the subject of the Psalm is proved beyond all doubt by Paul's treatment of it referred to above.

From The Wilderness To Jerusalem

Further evidence for our conclusion is found in the Song of Solomon, Ch. 3:6-11. This passage depicts the antitypical Solomon, the Bridegroom of the future, with his retinue of skilled warriors, moving from out of the wilderness into the city of Zion.

He is not on his own: for with him is his Bride. and she engages the attention of all, But it is not so much the beauty, as the awe-inspiring appearance of the Bride that is the subject of comment. She is described as coming up out of the wilderness "like pillars of smoke." The word "pillars" is a translation of the Hebrew timarah from tamar, "to be erect, a palm." The word suggests a column as spreading at the top, such as is seen in the nuclear mushroom cloud of smoke.

The expression should not be confused with the "pillar of cloud" which led Israel through the wilderness. The word "pillar," in that reference is entire]y different in the Hebrew to that used in the Song. Further, the likeness in Exodus is to a Cloud, whereas here it is to smoke.

The phrase, "pillar of smoke" occurs in two other places (Judges 20:40; Joel 2:30), and in both instances implies destruction. In the latter occurrence, it is destruction that results from Divine intervention, which can be likened to a form of nuclear activity.

Certainly, this suggests an awe-inspiring manifestation, and one that conforms to the suggestion that the Lord will gather the responsible to Sinai for judgment, and afterwards move from the precincts of the holy mount in company with the redeemed, against a world at war. There the unleashing of Divine power (the effect of which is similar to that of nuclear explosion - see Zech 14:12). will humble those armies that will have moved against Jerusalem in war.

The Mighty One From Teman

Our final reference in support of the claim that the judgment seat will be set up in Sinai is Habakkuk 3. The language of this chapter is in the future tense, as Brother Thomas shows in Eureka. He declares that the verb in the statement: "God came from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran" (Hab. 3:3). is not bah (past tense) as in Deuteronomy 33:2 where it is corectly translated, but yahvo, the future of the same verb. It should be rendered "shall come in". The whole chapter is in the future tense, and is so rendered by other versions, such as the Revised. It predicts the time when the earth will be full of Yahweh's praise (v.3), and this, obviously, is still in the future.

Habakkuk declares that "God (Heb. Eloah, the mighty one) shall come in from Teman, the holy one from Mount Paran." In Daniel 2:44, the Chaldee equivalent of the same word is used for one who shall "set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." Eloah is God manifested in flesh, justified by spirit, even the Holy One or Messiah. In order to set up his Kingdom, he shall come in from Teman, which is in the region of the Sinaitic Peninsula.

Though Eloah is in the singular number, it is not correct to suggest (as is frequently done) that the saints will not be with Christ at this time. Even those who try to press this theory are forced to admit that the angels will be with him when he returns, so that it is quite wrong to suggest that he will go forth as an individual. In fact, Habakkuk shows that the saints will be with Christ at this time. He does so by symbol and by explanation. He declares: "Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people (Israel after the flesh), even for salvation with thine anointed (the glorified, thus fully anointed, saints see - 2 Cor. 1 :21).

Habakkuk's description is similar to that of Moses, in that the Eloah is represented as the Sun of righteousness:

"His glory covers the heavens, the earth is full of his praise. His brightness is as the light; he has horns (the symbol for power) coming out of his hand, and there was the hiding of his power" (v.4).

His brightness is as light, his power is shown as "horns coming out of his hand." This relates to the beams of light that stream from the Sun, and here symbolises the glorified saints. Kitto states: "The word 'horns' here rather denotes pencils of rays, such as flows from the sun, and which are visible at its rising or setting." It has been rendered: "Rays streamed from his hand."

The prophet provides a description of the triumphant march of this glorious one, ascending from Teman, rising from Paran, illuminating the earth with his splendour, filling the political heavens of the future with the glory of Yahweh, as he destroys the powers of darkness.

This vision of future glory, seen alike by Moses, David, Solomon and the prophets, was also anticipated by Enoch. Jude comments:

"Enoch prophesied, saying: Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds" (v.14).

If it be asked: From what direction shall the Lord come for this purpose? surely Scripture replies: "From Sinai, Teman, Paran." Here, then, we submit is the place of the return and the locality of the Judgment Seat. Is any other place indicated in Scripture? No! Then why refute it? The situation of Sinai is admirable for the purpose. Its associations with past manifestations of Divine power and glory make it most appropriate; and it seems as though it has been reserved of God for that purpose.H.P. Mansfield

 

 

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